The phone kept ringing and ringing, a torturing reminder of the horrible news Courtney Lee did not want to believe.

Danny Rumph had gotten Lee through the tough times. They had become the sort of roommates who tell each other everything, who shared youthful dreams. Rumph was young and strong, gifted with abilities both thought would take him to the NBA. Yet every time the phone rang that terrible day, Lee was forced to accept the impossible truth.

“It was a week after we left school,” said Lee, a third-year guard for the Rockets. “He was playing on a recreational court and passed away. The first time I found out, his uncle called me. Then his mother called me. I was just like, ‘It can’t be true.’ Then my college coach called, and my phone kept ringing, teammates, people that were friends with all of us, all kinds of people.